


The Right Person

by SixtyFiveRoses



Category: The New Adventures of Flipper
Genre: 1995, Dolphins, F/M, First Period, Flipper, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Period talk, Puberty, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29882202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixtyFiveRoses/pseuds/SixtyFiveRoses
Summary: Following the events of episode 1x022: "Flipper Speaks!", Pam faces the changes in her life. Keith is there to help her navigate.
Relationships: Pam Blondell/Keith Ricks





	The Right Person

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sara/gifts).



> The New Adventures of Flipper has been my first fandom. I was a kid when this show originally aired, but I actually got into it a few years after it ended. This show and the Pam/Keith ship got me into writing my first fanfic between the ages of 12-14. I recently rewatched the show's first season and realized that I still love these characters. Despite the many years and social changes society has been through, I can still relate to them (especially that I am now a year older than Pam was on the show). I fell in love with Pam and Keith's friendship all over again, and I wanted to develop this story further, the way I saw it going. 
> 
> While the topic of sex has been hinted at and directly discussed on the show, I am struggling to think about Pam (not so much about Keith) as a sexual being because she always got timid when it came up. So I will tackle this on this story and hopefully work through that little writing struggle.

Keith asked her out. If Pam ever said she expected it, she’d be lying. If she said she hadn’t expected it, she’d be lying about that too. They kissed that morning, a moment after professing their mutual love for each other. But a moment before that, they had mutually agreed to keep their relationship on friendly terms and not act on their feelings. To say it wasn’t confusing was a lie. And to say it wasn’t exciting was another. 

Damn it, Dr. Pam Blondell tried to lead a simple, uncomplicated life. But being an army lieutenant, a veterinarian who couldn’t stomach performing an actual surgery on an animal, and a divorcee with a 14-year-old son and foster daughter whom she never intended to foster, to begin with, certainly complicated things. And now she had agreed to date a colleague—Dr. Keith Ricks, of all people. 

Damn it again; Pam wasn’t sure what to do. She had already said yes to Keith, as long as he promised that he’d take her somewhere where Flipper won’t follow and rat it out to the kids. She loved Flipper, but he would complicate everything. And she wanted – no, she needed – things to be simple. If Mike ever knew that she was dating Keith, or even worse, if Maya knew, they would interfere. And the kids’ interference has already proved itself to be destructive in the past. No, as far as Mike and Maya knew, Pam and Keith were going to a work dinner. They would never ask about that, especially not Mike, because he thought her work was boring, even though he loved spending time at the institute and swimming with the dolphins.

As Pam wiped the steam from the shower mirror and looked at her reflection, she felt doubt crawling under her skin. She never really dated anyone before. It was an odd fact to face. Scott was her best friend’s distant cousin who had moved to Boston for med school. Pam, who was a year younger than him, had been captivated by him, his golden locks, his sophisticated charm, and his smile. Her parents were uptight and did not approve of her dating anyone until she was 18, so she and Scott met each other secretly. And as in the nature of secret relationships, Pam fell short in covering her tracks. That resulted in her having Mike during the winter break from her freshmen year in college. Thinking back, she never considered her few secret meetings with Scott as dating, mostly because they had spent most of their time together in bed rather than talking. 

“Pam?” Maya’s voice drew her out of her reminiscence. 

“In here,” she called and tightened her bathrobe around her. 

Maya came to stand in the doorway. “I think I got my period.” 

Pam looked at Maya. The subject of puberty and the changes that Maya and Mike would be going through never came up before. Granted, Maya had only been with them for a couple of months now, and their school had a sex education program, so Pam assumed they knew all the basics. That was probably a wrong assumption. 

“For the first time?” Maya was the same age as Mike, and Pam thought that she had gotten her period already, but the expression on Maya’s face told her otherwise. 

“I don’t know what to do.” 

“Come in here,” Pam said and gently pulled Maya into the bathroom. “They told you all about it at school, right?” 

“Yeah, I know how it works, and all, and Kendra always told me to come to her when that happened, but she’s in Huston, and I…” There were tears in Maya’s eyes. 

“Hey, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m here.” 

Pam explained to Maya about the different sanitary options available to her and showed her the drawer where she stored hers. Of course, Maya worried about swimming and how Pam handled it when she was on her period. Pam assured her that there was a way for her to swim on her period, and Maya seemed relieved. 

“You won’t tell Mike, will you?” she asked, her voice thin and fragile. 

“No, honey. I won’t.” Pam reassured her. “Although he might sense it if you’re moody and not feeling well.”

“So you think I should tell him?” Maya asked. 

“I don’t know. We’ll have to think about it together. How about we tackle that issue tomorrow?” 

Maya agreed and hugged Pam before she left the bathroom. 

Pam smiled and then realized that Maya getting her period meant she had to bring up the dreaded subject of puberty and sex with both Mike and Maya. She had hoped that the talk would be something she’d have to do when Mike was in high school. Now it seemed like it was necessary to bring it up sooner, much sooner. Maybe it was better for her to feel a little uncomfortable than for Mike or Maya or both to make the mistakes she had made or worse. 

The thought of dealing with the two teenagers made Pam even more nervous than the idea of dating a man for the first time at the age of thirty-two. 

Even an hour later, as she and Keith were sitting at a nice Italian restaurant on the Bal Harbor north shore, her mind was clouded by the new complications in her life. 

“What did Mike do this time?” Keith asked, noticing her mind was miles away. 

“He didn’t do anything,” Pam replied. 

“That you know of,” Keith stated, knowing Mike’s tendency to get himself into unnecessary trouble. 

“No, it’s actually not his fault.” 

“Don’t tell me that Maya is the culprit,” Keith joked. 

Not that Maya hadn’t gotten Mike into a few troubles, too, Pam thought.

“They’re growing up. Fast.” 

“Puberty began to hit, huh?” Keith seemed to understand what Pam wasn’t comfortable saying. 

“I need to teach them how to become adults because I don’t want–“ Pam paused. “Don’t think I’m a terrible person, okay?”

“It would never cross my mind,” Keith assured her. 

“I was 18 when I had Mike, and I love him, I really do. But I was a child, and they are children too. Except that they’re not children anymore, and I want to protect them from–“ 

“What you went through.” As usual, Keith was able to complete her sentences. 

“Is that crazy?” She asked. 

“No, not at all. You’re a good mother, Pam, and you want Mike and Maya to have all the opportunities they can get. That’s not crazy at all.” 

“You know, you have a terrific paternal instinct. I think you’d make a good father one day,” Pam said. 

Keith’s eyes widened, and he took a deep breath. “Wow, so we’re having that conversation.” 

“What conversation?” Pam felt clueless for a moment until she realized what he meant. Her heart caught up a moment later when it began beating painfully against her ribcage. “No, we’re not.” 

“Well, since you asked–” Keith started in his typical playful tone. 

“I did not ask.” Pam retorted. 

“But since you did, maybe one day, with the right woman.” 

“So you’re saying I’m not the right woman?” Pam arched her eyebrows, daring him to speak.

“Do you think you’re the right woman?” He rolled the question right back at her. 

Pam had to give it to him. He was good, and that was why she’d always enjoyed their banter; it always made her feel butterflies in her stomach. “I don’t think we should talk about this on our first date.” 

Keith inspected her, and she could see the wheels turning in his brain as he considered whether or not he should push. 

“You’re blushing,” he said. 

“I’m ginger. I always blush.” No, she would not let him have the last word. 

“Well, if you are the right woman, we will have to bring this topic up again someday,” Keith said. “For example, if you even want to have more children.” 

“Maybe, with the right man.” 

Keith cocked his head to the side appreciatively. He gave her an honorable out of this topic, and they both knew it. Neither of them seemed to care. 

They changed the subject, talking about some of their interests outside of their researches at the institute. Pam was surprised to discover they both enjoyed the same music and liked the same films. They agreed to go to the movies on their next date, which they both rarely did these days. Even though their evening started with a somewhat awkward conversation, Pam was having a lot of fun. 

As they walked down the shoreline, his fingers sneaked between hers. Pam’s breath nearly hitched at the touch of his palm against her own. It felt right, just like kissing him that morning did. 

“You know, I’ve never been on a date before,” she admitted. “This feels nice.” 

He examined her with a cryptic smile. 

“What?”

“Nothing, I just see a new side of you.” Keith turned to her and looked into her eyes. 

“Is that a good thing?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“It’s the best thing,” Keith replied and leaned to capture her lips. Their kiss that morning had been passionate and searing, but this kiss was soft and caressing. Pam stabilized herself by holding onto Keith’s sides. She liked this better; the gentleness, the warmth. 

“You were right this morning, you know? I do love you.” Keith confessed when they parted. “And in case you had any doubt, I think you are the right woman.” 

“I can’t believe how insane that sounds, but I also feel like you are the right man.”


End file.
